By: Martin Rand, III
Date: December 10, 2012
Last week was very strange week for Ford Motor Company. This was the first time I saw one automaker have bad news almost everyday for things completely separate from each other.
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| Ford's redesigned 2013 Fusion is drawing rave reviews from critics for its blend of style and performance. |
They just keep recalling
It started the day after Thanksgiving. While everyone else was trying to digest their food or fight people for the last big screen on Black Friday, Ford released a press release saying it needed to voluntarily recall the 2013 Ford Escape SE and SEL models equipped with the 1.6-liter engine and 2013 Ford Fusion SE and SEL models equipped with the 1.6-liter engine for safety issues.
According to the press release, the recall is because people have reported their engines overheating, followed by vehicle fires starting in the engine while it was running. no injuries have been reported.
A big safety issue yes, but no injuries were reported.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this recall affects an estimated 80,000 vehicles. Fusions and Escapes with different types of engines are unaffected.
"We have identified an issue and are taking actions in the best interest of our customers," said Steve Kenner, director of Ford’s Automotive Safety Office, in the release. "It is important that affected customers not ignore this recall and contact their dealer as soon as possible. While we recognize the inconvenience recalls cause our customers, we are taking these actions on their behalf to help ensure their safety."
Then, just a week after its last recall, Ford again had to recall the 2013 Fusion. This time for because the vehicle may not have had the low beam headlamp projector coating properly cured during its manufacturing process.
According to the NHTSA, an improperly cured projector coating will become hazy with use, and over time, reduce the brightness of the low-beam lamp. This could decrease driver visibility and increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
More than 19,000 Fusions will be affected.
Ford recently dropped to second-to-last place in Consumer Reports annual reliability survey. Speaking with USA Today, Jake Fisher, head of Consumer Reports automotive test division, said Ford has released so many brand new cars that the bugs haven't been worked out of many of them.
Estimates aren't suppose to be exact
In other news last week, Consumer Reports also revealed that the 2013 Fusion and 2013 C-Max hybrids don't get no where near the 47 city/47 highway/47 combined mpg the Environmental Protective Agency tests got and Ford advertises.
In their tests, the Fusion Hybrid got 35 city/41 highway/39 mpg combined. The C-Max Hybrid got 35 city/38 highway/37 mpg combined.
While their test still prove the vehicles have excellent fuel-economy, with the C-Max Hybrid 10 mpg combined difference and the Fusion Hybrid 8 mpg difference, these two vehicles have the largest difference between Consumer Reports overall-mpg results and EPA estimates among any current models.
The previous largest difference was the Toyota Pruis C Two and the Toyota Prius with 7 and 6 overall mpg difference.
It should be noted that Consumer Reports and EPA estimates usually don't match-up, however their estimates and the EPA estimates are usually within 2 mpg of each other, according to Fisher, who told this to CNNMoney.
"Even though the fuel economy is excellent, if a consumer expects 47 mpg when they purchase that vehicle, they're going to be very disappointed," said Fisher.
Rammed off the throne
Yes, it was a week filled with bad news from the doors of Ford, and it all culminated into the loss of title.
Last week, Motor Trend named the 2013 Ram 1500 as its Truck of the Year, beating out the 2013 Ford F-150.
A year ago, the 2012 Ford F-150 held the Motor Trend's title as Truck of the year.
It's not that Ford did anything wrong to mess up the F-150 this year. Ram's truck was simply better. According to Motor Trend, they said that the "rest of the industry" needs to catch up to the 1500.
While this isn't as severe or life threatening as the recalls, it just adds on to the recent letdown of Fords 2013 lineup.
After the storm, comes the sunshine
However, it wasn't all bad for Ford last week. At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Green Car Journal magazine named the 2013 Fusion as the Green Car of the Year.
Judging took place before the recent recalls of the highly popular sedan.
According to CNNMoney, because of its relatively low starting price, different efficient models and performance, the Green Car panel, which includes environmentalists as well as celebrities like TV host Jay Leno, chose the Fusion over the likes of the Ford C-Max, Toyota Prius C, Dodge Dart Aero and the Mazda CX-5.
Also, Ford announced plans to "reboot" its struggling Lincoln luxury brand. While Ford will still own Lincoln, the plan is separate the two brands so Lincoln can have its own identity.
According to CNNMoney, to achieve this, newly named Lincoln Motor Co. will get its own product development team, designers a separate showroom at Ford dealerships with only Lincoln vehicles and Lincoln only salespeople.
Jim Farley, head of sales and marketing at Ford, will oversee Lincoln Motor Co. division. Farley was in charge of Toyota's Lexus luxury division before joining Ford.
"The company hasn't made this kind of commitment to Lincoln in decades," Farley said according to CNNMoney. He also said that Lincoln will get its first Superbowl commercial this year, its first in decades, with NFL hall-of-famer Emmitt Smith as the spokesperson.
Will these steps be enough to resuscitate the age-old brand? Maybe. However, Lincoln better not have make as many mistakes as Ford has made this week.
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